Why do we gamble?

Australia has a big culture of taking a punt. Whether it is on the dogs, horses or the pokies, gambling has moved out of the local TAB and taken on new forms with applications on smartphones and live coverage of betting odds during sporting events. Life Matters spoke to researchers and a number of professed problem gamblers to find out why we do it.

The Melbourne Cup. KENO. Scratchies. OZLOTTO...

Australia is home to a large number of punters who are having a flutter in a growing range of ways. A study conducted by the Productivity Commission has found that 70% of Australians participate in some form of gambling each year. Currently there is an ongoing senate inquiry into the advertising and promotion of gambling services in sport, which will examine the in-ground advertising of odds and the integration of gambling into commentary.

According to the Australasian Gambling Review, gamblers lose around $21,000 each year. That is one third of the average Australian salary. Up to 500,000 Australians are at risk of becoming, or already are, problem gamblers.

And now the recently released DSM 5—America's mental health bible—has classified pathological gambling alongside other addictions like substance abuse. So why is Australia allowing even more avenues to punt and promote gambling than ever before?

Associate Professor Matthew Rockloff is the Deputy Director of the Institute for Health and Social Science Research at Central Queensland University. He explains why people gamble according to the four E’s: escape, excitement, excess and esteem.

People want to go to these pokie venues to be around other people but not have the social requirements that face them in other situations. All you have to do to be accepted in this environment is gamble.

Associate Professor Matthew Rockloff

‘Often gambling is a way to stave off boredom,' he says. ‘People prone to living to excesses, such as drinking or smoking too much, are also more likely to develop a gambling problem. People also gamble for self-esteem. Surprisingly, many problem gamblers are excessively generous... giving winnings away to family and friends to make themselves feel important.'

He's worried that the appearance of new forms of betting such as gambling applications available for mobile phones and the growth of online gambling websites will further entrench the gambling habits of Australians. Although it's illegal to host a gambling website in Australia, it is not an offence for a person in Australia to use international gambling services online.

The emergence of micro-betting, a process in which people are able to bet on different features of a sporting match, such as the number of penalties kicked or tackles made, is rapidly gaining popularity among Australian bookmakers.

‘We really don’t know how all this is going to change the environment. It’s still a small but rapidly growing part of gambling. Most people still bet in person... We’re going to have to see how it affects things,’ says Rockloff.

‘As for a child seeing odds for a football game pop up while it is being broadcast, it is possible they’ll start to think of gambling as a necessary part of enjoying sport.’

A major concern for Rockloff regarding mobile betting applications is their potential to develop built-in links to social media. ‘This would mean people would still have some sort of social interaction out of gambling, but in a much more convenient and accessible format that might encourage them to bet even more.’

Gamblers often cite a strong social factor motivating their participation in gambling. Jim, a long time gambler from Queensland, says ‘it’s a big social thing for me and my mates. On a Saturday we’ll sit around at the pub and talk about it. Betting is a way for us to spend time together.’

Although those with little experience with gambling may think of pokies as antisocial, Associate Professor Rockloff says addicts often think otherwise. ‘We’ve found that people want to go to these pokie venues to be around other people but not have the social requirements that face them in other situations. All you have to do to be accepted in this environment is gamble.'

In one of Rockloff’s recent studies, he found that those individuals who thought negatively of themselves would often gamble for longer periods and for greater amounts of money. ‘People escape into gambling so they don’t have to think about the difficulties and problems in their own lives.'

With the Australasian Gambling Review revealing that poker machine players are most likely to be 18- to 24-year-olds, and that many adult gamblers report having developed gambling problems between the ages of 11 and 17, there is growing concern over what is driving young people to gambling. Often early experiences of betting with friends and family have lasting consequences when it comes to developing a gambling addiction.

George, a former gambler and helpline volunteer for Gamblers Anonymous, started gambling at the TAB when he was 14 and was introduced to it by a high school friend.

‘I didn’t know I would go on to develop this compulsion,’ says George. ‘At times I wouldn’t have regard for anyone or anything other than the betting. It reaches the point where you might be so engrossed that you’ll be watching the end of one race while writing out the form for the next one.’

George eventually overcame his addiction and is now helping others to do the same. ‘You either take the road of going insane or you admit to yourself that you do have a problem. One of the most difficult things for a compulsion gambler is to admit they have a problem.’

Gambling has existed for thousands of years, and Rockloff says that the risk-taking aspect of betting is not only a part of our economy, but also human nature. 'Dealing with risk is something that is very human and very necessary. Even the distinctions between some forms of stock trading and gambling are very blurry. Whether gambling researchers like it or not, gambling has been around for quite a while and is here to stay, so it’s a problem we need to deal with.'

If you are experiencing problems with gambling the Gamblers Anonymous Helpline is (02) 9726 6625.

Comments (1)

Marilyn Lancelot :

22 May 2013 7:01:43am

Gripped by Gambling. Sure, everyone loves to gamble . . . if they win. But, the person sitting next to you in church, the man in line at the grocery store, or one of your co-workers; any one of these could be involved with a gambling problem. Imagine your grandmother committing a crime to support her gambling addiction. I am a recovering alcoholic, gambler, and have recovered from other addictive behaviors. I published a book, Gripped by Gambling, where the readers can follow the destructive path of the compulsive gambler, a prison sentence, and then on to the recovery road. I also publish a free online newsletter, Women Helping Women, which has been on-line for more than twelve years and is read by hundreds of women (and men) from around the world. (www.femalegamblers.info).